


Knitting Together

by Kingshammer



Category: The Nevernight Chronicles - Jay Kristoff
Genre: F/F, Missing Scene, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-02 07:25:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16300661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kingshammer/pseuds/Kingshammer
Summary: Missing scene after Mia and Tric are punished for breaking curfew.





	Knitting Together

Mia was disoriented when first she opened her eyes. The darkness in the room might well have been its own sampling of True Dark. 

This, of course, was not the truth, only the truth as Mia perceived it in her weary, battered shape. Truly, to her it felt to her as though Bastard had learned to dance upon her poor back. She was in her room, left there by the Hands, laying on her stomach.

She was thankful then, if utterly revolted, by the Speaker and the Weaver’s abilities. She didn’t lament the abuse; had the Revered Mother found her guilty of Carlotta’s death, she’d likely be pig slop at the porkery in Godsgrave by now. 

But  _Maw’s Teeth_ did she hurt. Adonai may have called the blood back into her body and Mariel might’ve stitched her up like a ripped shirt, but the muscles were protesting the unmaking and the remaking process. But the otherworldliness of the undoing and the stitching unsettled something deep within her.

It was too much trauma, too much abuse. Whole she might be, but it was as though her body knew that it was strange old magic that held it together. Magic that defied the regular workings of the natural world. It protested. It writhed.

Mia tried to push up and pull herself to the head of the bed. A hot burning pain shot through her back as it seized. She bit back a scream and fell back to the bed gasping. Tears sprung to her eyes.

“ _Maybe, you should not move_ ,” came a soft whisper from over her head. Mia scowled.

“And maybe you could keep your helpful advice to yourself, neh?” snapped Mia. She didn’t have the strength for anger at the cat, only bitterness at her current predicament.

“ _You know this is, basically_ _…_ ” 

“My fault, yes, I’m fully  _fucking_ aware,” interrupted Mia. Mister Kindly flowed from the top of the bedframe to drape his insubstantial form across Mia’s shoulders.

“ _I am sorry_ ,” he supplied, “ _to see you hurt._ ” His voice was gentler now.

“I just couldn’t stand there and let it happen to him alone. It wouldn't have been right,” Mia breathed quietly. She needed to move, needed to loosen the muscles that kept her bowed over, but she couldn't.

Mister Kindly was spared answering that ‘Yes, she could have left the boy to his punishment’, by the faintest scratching at her door knob. Mia knew before it swung open who would be on the other side.

“Corvere?” came Ash’s soft whisper, her face barely poking in the room. Dim arkemical light from the hallway silhouetted her figure. Mia could feel the shadows dance and distort behind the girl.

“What are you doing here?” rasped Mia. Ashlinn quickly stepped inside and shut out the light from the hallway.

“Ash, you’ll get into trouble,” breathed Mia softly. Try as she may she couldn’t help the pain that tightened her voice, turning it breathy and hoarse. Ash was undeterred. She passed through the room in just a few, silent strides, settling herself gently on the edge of Mia’s bed.

“We’ve about an hour until nine bell, “ Ash whispered. Carefully, tentatively, she reached out a shaking hand and placed it on Mia’s back. As gentle as the touch had been, Mia couldn’t help her flinch and involuntary recoil. Ash drew her hand back as if scalded.

“Sorry,” muttered Mia, “Not you, it’s just tender.” She kept her eyes down, staring at Ashlinn’s knee propped up on the bed.  Her breath came in short pants. The reality was that she felt too cursed miserable to care about what Ash thought about her weakness in this moment.

“Hush now, love, you don’t have anything to apologize for,” Ashlinn said, her voice thick. Were Mia more alert, she might’ve noticed there was something very akin to guilt in Ash’s quiet voice.

“Is there lasting damage you think?” asked the Vaanian girl. Mia attempt to shrug, but again her back seized.

“Mother  _fucker_ ,” hissed Mia. Immediately, instinctively, she tried to move to ease the discomfort. Ash’s hands on her back stopped her.

“Stop it, you’ll hurt yourself more,” she said firmly, quietly. Mia stilled her attempted roll, her body quivering. A few tears did leak from her eyes then, curse it all. She was half propped on her side. Ash didn’t remove her hands.

“Here, can you roll back to your stomach?” Ashlinn asked, gently pulling on Mia to encourage just that. Carefully and slowly, Mia rolled,  resting her head on a pillow.

“Here, pull your arms back to your sides, relax your shoulders,” Ash said. Mia obeyed, too weary to question the girl or her motives at this point. Ashlinn turned and settled herself more firmly on bed. Strong, and surprisingly gentle hands, settled firmly on Mia’s neck. Carefully, her thumbs pressed into the soft skin on the sides of Mia’s spine. Mia moaned softly. Ashlinn smirked slightly.

“Knew you’d be putty in my hands,” she remarked smartly. Mia fluttered her fingers at her, slightly brushing Ash’s knee in admonition. Ash continued her ministrations, kneading at tense muscles, coaxing them patiently to relax. Tears of pleasure/pain sprung into Mia’s eyes. She didn’t care.

“How bad was it to watch?” Mia asked quietly after awhile. Ashlinn’s hands were moving over the thick corded shoulder muscles and it hurt. She needed something for distraction.

“Goddess Mia, what do you think? It was fucking awful. I have to admit it though, you took it better than I’d have done. And Tric. Well, that was uncanny,” Ash said. Internally, the Vaanian was relieved to feel the knots in Mia’s back slowly come undone under her fingers. Mia’s soft whimpers were doing something to her, something she’d dare not name.

“What do you mean?” Mia asked. A particularly stubborn knot was pressed and Mia gasped, gripping the bedsheet in a tight, white knuckled fist. Ashlinn kept at it; to stop now would be to leave it in agony later.

“Tric, well, he didn’t make a sound. How not, I haven’t the slightest notion, but he was silent,” Ash said. The awe and respect was evident in her voice.

“While I squalled like an unblooded welp,” Mia admonished quietly, voice tight. Ashlinn’s fingers paused, gripping Mia’s sides to get her attention.

“Stop that, Corvere. They flayed you apart. There was bone in some of those strikes. I kept,” Ash paused, taking a breath. Mia turned her head back slightly, trying to get a glimpse of the girl. Ashlinn cleared her throat.

“I kept hoping you’d pass out, until you finally did,” she said finally. Her hands resumed their blessed attention. Ashlinn would never forget the screaming, never forget how deeply it cut her to hear.

“I will say this for the Ministry: their punishments have a way of sticking to the brain,” Mia remarked dryly. Ash snorted.

“They’re a coven of fucking bastards,” Ashlinn breathed. There was an undercurrent of malice in her voice, turning it hard as iron.

“You say that like you hate them Ash, like you’re not trying to be one of them,” remarked Mia. Her voice was soft, distant. She was getting tired again. Ashlinn sighed.

“I want to be a Blade, Mia. But too much of a murderous thing, well. That’s what the Ministry is. They’re empty inside aren't they? There’s nothing left to them. How else do you justify sending Acolytes out to be slaughtered? Why do you think they’re here, teaching us the fine art of murder?” asked the Vaanian girl. Mia’s eyes were shut now, her consciousness drifting again.

“Because they’re the best I imagine,” she muttered by way of response. Ashlinn chuckled lightly and without humor.

“Yes I suppose they are, Corvere. You and me, we’re not empty. Not yet,” Ashlinn remained silent after that, working the tension out of Mia’s back until the muscles were again relaxed. The tension lines etched into Mia’s brow by pain had smoothed. Ashlinn smiled quietly to herself. She stood, drew the mussed blanket up and tucked it around Mia’s shoulders. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Mia’s temple and turned to leave the room.

“Lock the door?” Mia mumbled after her, eyes closed and voice thick with sleep. Ashlinn chuckled.

“OF course,” she replied softly.

“Ash…thank you. Mean it,” Mia said. There was just the barest hint of firmness in her voice, the last strong attempt at conveying sincerity in her current, boneless state.

“You’re welcome, Mia,” Ash said.

In her own room, Ashe flopped onto her bed with a sad sigh. Her heart was troubled. She was ready to do what she’d come to the Red Church to do. Her motivation had not wavered and after the Ministry’s version of punishment, she was more than willing. The bastards had no humanity left in them. Memories of Mia’s screams came unbidden to her mind and she couldn’t suppress a shudder. 

Goddess Bless. 

She hadn’t shown up at the Quiet Mountain with the intentions of  _liking_ anyone who graced the Mother’s halls. But she did. And didn’t that just make everything worse?

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Whoever you are! I realize this fandom doesn't have many contributions on here yet but I'm kind of obsessed with the books and couldn't help writing something.
> 
> All credits and rights belong to Jay Kristoff. I own nothing.


End file.
